“When we hire a faculty member we explicitly fill out a form stating what fraction of their time will be spent on teaching and research," Lyman Briggs College Dean Elizabeth Simmons said. "They are evaluated against those expectations."

The exact amount of time split between research varies between the different graduate and undergraduate programs. 

“Pretty typical in most colleges is 40 percent research, 40 percent teaching and 20 percent public outreach, service and leadership,” Simmons said.

These splits vary because of the different aspects of the educational experience MSU’s colleges emphasize. 

“There is certainly more of an emphasis on time spent teaching in the residential colleges because of our undergraduate focus,” Simmons said.

Some programs, such as the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine   , spend more of their time working in the community. 

“A lot of our faculty practice medicine and teach,” College of Osteopathic Medicine Dean William Strampel said.

The College of Osteopathic Medicine’s faculty are expected to spend roughly half their time on clinical outreach in the community, Strampel said.

However, some students felt most professors likely don’t spend much time working in the community.

“A few professors do things outside of research and lecturing, but that’s most professors primary focus," political science junior Alex Swindle said. "I don’t think a ton of them are involved in East Lansing because they are pretty busy with other things,”

Students agreed with Strampel that community outreach work should be an important part of professors’ work. 

“It’s important for professors to be a part of the community, and I’m sure they learn more from working in the community as well,” undecided freshman Lexi Anastasi said.

For graduate programs professors also have to devote time to the rigorous admission process for their programs. 

“Professors all have to spend time on the admission process going over the 7,000 applications for the 300 applicants we accept every year,” Strampel said.